RIOT POLICE fired tear gas as a group of protesters participating in the Occupy Oakland demonstration in California last night.
The Oakland movement is part of the Occupy Wall Street protests which began in New York in mid-September and have since spread to a number of US and international cities, including Dublin.
In a pre-dawn raid yesterday, police dismantled the two-week old encampment at Frank H Ogawa Plaza in downtown Oakland and evicted the protesters.
Scuffles broke out later in the day as protesters attempted to resist being removed from the area near City Hall.
A group of protesters gathered at the nearby libray and marched towards City Hall. Police fired at least five volleys of tear gas in the space of three hours in an effort to disperse the crowd.
Police said that bottles, rocks and firecrackers were thrown at officers by the demonstrators. Acting Police Chief Howard Jordan said that police had to use tear gas “to stop the crowd”.
Almost 100 people were arrested in yesterday morning’s raid of the Occupy Oakland camp, and at least five protesters were arrested during the skirmishes last night. Several people were injured.
The Occupy Oakland website accused police of using flash grenades, tear gas and rubber bullets in their operation against the camp and says that police destroyed or seized protesters’ property from the camp.
Meanwhile, police in Atlanta, Georgia arrested around 50 Occupy Atlanta protesters who had been camping in the city’s Woodruff Park, including a state senator.
Police in riot gear and on horseback had mostly cleared protesters from the camp by early this morning. Some protesters said they intended to return to the park when during its official opening hours.
- Additional reporting by the AP
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